A. P. Elkin

A. P. Elkin
Name	A. P. Elkin
Birth date	22 November 1891
Birth place	Woollahra, New South Wales
Death date	30 June 1979
Death place	Sydney
Occupation	Anthropologist, Clergyman, Academic
Alma mater	University of Sydney, University of Oxford
Notable works	The Australian Aborigines; The Australian Aborigines: How to Understand Them
Awards	Order of the British Empire

A. P. Elkin was an Australian anthropologist and clergyman known for extensive study of Indigenous Australian societies and influential advocacy on Indigenous policy during the mid-20th century. He combined fieldwork, ecclesiastical engagement, and academic leadership, shaping debates involving institutions such as the University of Sydney, Australian National University, Department of External Affairs, and Australian Council for Educational Research. His career intersected with figures and organizations across Australian public life, including interactions related to the Aborigines Protection Board (New South Wales), Commonwealth, and international scholarly networks such as the Royal Anthropological Institute and the British Academy.

Early life and education

Elkin was born in Woollahra, New South Wales and educated at Fort Street High School before attending the University of Sydney. At Sydney he studied alongside contemporaries linked to Rhodes Scholarship circles and later pursued postgraduate study at University of Oxford where he engaged with scholars from the London School of Economics, the British Museum, and the Royal Anthropological Institute. His ecclesiastical training connected him with the Anglican Church of Australia, the University of Melbourne clergy networks, and figures associated with Sydney Diocese leadership. Early academic influences included texts and debates circulating among members of the Australian Club (Sydney) and intellectuals connected to the Commonwealth Literary Fund and Australian Council for Educational Research.

Academic career and anthropological work

Elkin held posts at the University of Sydney where he established the anthropology department and influenced curricular relations with the Australian National University and the University of Queensland. He engaged with international institutions such as the Royal Anthropological Institute, the British Academy, the American Anthropological Association, and the International Congress of Anthropology and Prehistoric Archaeology. His administration intersected with leaders from the Museums Board of New South Wales, the Australian Museum, and archival networks including the National Library of Australia and the State Library of New South Wales. Elkin supervised students who later worked with agencies like the Anthropological Society of New South Wales, Sydney University Press, and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. He participated in conferences attended by scholars from Cambridge University, Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, and the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Fieldwork with Indigenous Australian communities

Elkin conducted fieldwork across regions such as Cape York Peninsula, the Eyre Peninsula, central Australia near Alice Springs, and communities on the Tiwi Islands and Arnhem Land. His ethnographic records engaged with kinship systems documented in relation to clans and languages including Arrernte, Yolngu, Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiri, and Gadigal people. He collaborated with missionaries and institutions such as the Aborigines Welfare Board (NSW), United Aborigines Mission, Church Missionary Society, and local councils including the Northern Territory Administration and the Queensland Department of Native Affairs. Fieldwork led to interactions with contemporaries like Daisy Bates, Norman Tindale, Edward Eyre, A. R. Radcliffe-Brown, Bronisław Malinowski, and later comparators such as Claude Lévi-Strauss and Marvin Harris.

Views, activism, and policy influence

Elkin was active in public debates concerning Indigenous rights and assimilation policies, engaging with policymakers from the Commonwealth and state bodies including the Aborigines Protection Board (New South Wales), the Native Welfare Conference, and the Department of External Affairs. He testified before inquiries and contributed to reports affecting legislation such as state welfare statutes and federal initiatives linked to the 1967 Australian referendum. Elkin worked alongside activists and political figures including members of the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party of Australia, A. J. P. Taylor-style public intellectuals, and advocacy groups like the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship and the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement. His positions drew responses from Indigenous leaders and intellectuals connected to Charles Perkins, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Vincent Lingiari, and organisations such as the Sea Rights movement and Land Council networks.

Publications and intellectual legacy

Elkin authored monographs and articles disseminated via publishers and journals linked to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, the Royal Anthropological Institute, OUP, and university presses. Major works include treatment of kinship, religion, and social change in compilations cited alongside texts by A. R. Radcliffe-Brown, Radcliffe-Brown's students, Norman Tindale, Daisy Bates, Leslie White, and Alfred Radcliffe-Brown. His scholarship influenced museum exhibitions at the Australian Museum and collections policies at the National Museum of Australia and the British Museum. Critics and successors from institutions such as the Aboriginal Legal Service, Land Rights movement, University of New England, University of Adelaide, University of Western Australia, and the Australian National University have reassessed Elkin’s methodologies in relation to decolonising practices promoted by figures like Mabo, Eddie Mabo, Noel Pearson, and scholars in postcolonial studies at SOAS and Yale University.

Personal life and honors

Elkin’s family life and clerical roles connected him to parishes in New South Wales and networks including the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. He received honours such as appointments within the Order of the British Empire and recognition from bodies like the Royal Anthropological Institute and the Australian Academy of the Humanities. His archival papers are held in repositories including the National Archives of Australia, the State Library of New South Wales, and university collections at the University of Sydney and the Australian National University. His obituary and commemorations were noted in publications associated with the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, and academic journals such as the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Category:Australian anthropologists Category:1891 births Category:1979 deaths